The collapse of the heavens only influenced the upper limit of the Primordial container and did not affect the speed of Spiritual Energy enhancement. Thus, another new batch of demon cultivators made minor achievements in cultivation within the Primordial.

These cultivators, unfamiliar with the Ancient Demon Court and devoid of any inheritance, were in a relatively barbaric stage. To genuinely mighty immortals, they were little more than mounts, pets, or even alchemical materials.

Among them, the benevolent ones hid deep in the mountains to diligently cultivate, while the malevolent ones seized mountains, became kings, and pillaged the Human Clan. Fortunately, the Human Clan retained some underlying strength from the immortal era. Though they couldn't actively eliminate the demons, they could still defend themselves with self-detonation to keep threats at bay.

Meanwhile, the Central Plains, once the largest gathering place of the Human Clan, had fragmented after the Yang Yuhuan incident. The Great Tang completely severed its cause-and-effect ties with Nezha, Old Li, and others. Without the blessing of extraordinary powers, how could such a mundane dynasty last a thousand years? Now, the Central Plains were plagued with various factions, effectively in a divided state.

The former Li Tang Royal Family, although losing their dominance over the world, did not completely perish. After reigning for hundreds of years, their influence remained potent—awaiting the opportunity to restore the greatness of the Li Family.

Against this backdrop, at Huaguo Mountain on Dongsheng Divine Continent, the Divine Stone, which Guanyin had been watching over, showed signs of life once more. Guanyin inspected it briefly and knew the being inside was truly about to be born this time. She quickly gathered her belongings and concealed her presence.

The Divine Stone rose three zhang, six chi, and five cun tall, with a circumference of two zhang and four chi. It bore nine orifices and eight hollows, arranged according to the Nine Palace Trigrams. This Divine Stone naturally formed without external carving, a testament to the heavens' adoration of this ancient stone.

White mist flowed through the stone's nine orifices, and nine-colored rays illuminated the sky until, with a loud bang, the stone shattered. From it emerged a monkey with complete facial features and fully formed limbs—the monkey was born!

The Shi Hou was nurtured by the Divine Stone of Heavenly Creation and Earth Breaking, born amid the blood of Saints. Though he did not belong to the Four Demonic Monkeys, he had mastered nearly all their abilities. If one were to classify him, he was simply a Shi Hou.

Upon being born, the Shi Hou instinctively began using his powers to investigate his surroundings. Golden light gathered in his eyes and directly penetrated the Nine Heavens. Observing nearby, Guanyin was startled and almost discovered by the Shi Hou. She had not expected such a highly gifted being to be born in this era.

Above the Heaven Palace, the twin beams of golden light pierced through layers and shot directly toward the Turquoise Pool, startling the carefree immortals there. In truth, the Heavenly Court had been too tranquil lately, and this sudden disruption jarred them from their peace.

The Jade Emperor glanced at the spectacle and immediately summoned Thousand-mile Eye and Sharp-Hearing Ear. Although the immortals present could discern the situation at a glance, taking action themselves at this formal gathering would seem undignified.

After brief investigation, Thousand-mile Eye and Sharp-Hearing Ear reported, "Your Majesty, it's Huaguo Mountain on Dongsheng Divine Continent—a stone monkey has been born."

The Jade Emperor showed no interest in the monkey and waved them away to resume the Peach Banquet.

Nezha was unsurprised by the stone monkey's birth, having maintained communication with Guanyin and received firsthand information. Across the table, Old Li glanced at Nezha, signaling his thoughts: "Is this the second Sutra Collector?"

Nezha nodded slightly. However, the stone monkey had only just emerged. If he were to collect sutras now, it would merely be sending him to his death—he still needed to learn some skills.

Though two significant events occurred during the Turquoise Pool gathering, it concluded peacefully. The immortals ate peaches, ensuring they need not worry about their lifespan for the next millennium.

After the banquet, the attendees dispersed. Some gathered in small groups to continue drinking, while those with pressing matters returned to their mortal tasks, striving to develop more believers and restore their cultivation.

The incense offerings for immortals primarily comprise Heavenly Court salaries and the faith of devotees.

Since there were delays in Heavenly Court's fixed salaries, ambitious individuals could only work diligently to cultivate believers. Others used alternative methods to extend their lifespan, which, for now, hadn't crossed any major boundaries, so the Jade Emperor turned a blind eye, understanding his own accountability in this matter.

The immortals parted ways, and Jin Jiao and others with nascent camaraderie bid farewell one by one. For them, finding kindred spirits among fellow "children" was rare.

After leaving the Turquoise Pool, Nezha didn't return to his celestial abode but instead headed to Huaguo Mountain.

Once an desolate mountain, Huaguo Mountain had undergone extensive refinement of its earth vein by Nezha and Guanyin. Later on, a meteor descended upon the area, and Huaguo Mountain fortuitously absorbed and fused the surrounding mountain earth veins without suffering damage. Now, after years of nurturing, the place was utterly transformed.

Spiritual energy in the region was abundant, and the peach trees planted earlier by two monkey demons had flourished. While this spiritual energy couldn't rival the Heaven Palace, the peaches carried some benefits. Consequently, Huaguo Mountain became home to the largest Demon Clan of monkey demons. Although only a few monkeys managed to cultivate into demonhood, even ordinary monkeys exuded remarkable spirituality—an awe-inspiring sight.

The monkey demons were led by the two original tree planters, Sleepless and Sleepless. However, they had since adopted new names. One believed himself to be a mighty horse-monkey leader and named himself Ma General. The other, who enjoyed eating voraciously yet wanted to embody tiger-like ferocity, took the name "Rice Debiao."

When Nezha initially arrived, he was startled, thinking he had mistakenly wandered into a bustling metropolis rather than Huaguo Mountain.

The stone monkey's spirituality was unmatched by ordinary monkeys. Though newly born and ostracized by the monkey troop, his extraordinary excellence was palpable—even to monkeys.

Aside from Guanyin, observing the monkey was an old Taoist. Nezha recognized him immediately as the Bodhi Ancestor, the Good Corpse of Saint Zhunti.

"Disciple Nezha greets Uncle-Master Bodhi," Nezha said.

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